Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

Preparation of Rat Skeletal Muscle Homogenates for Nitrate and Nitrite Measurements
Published on: July 29, 2021
Nitrite: A Physiological Store of Nitric Oxide and Modulator of Mitochondrial Function
1Vascular Medicine Institute and Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.
Abstract:
Nitrite, long considered a biologically inert metabolite of nitric oxide (NO) oxidation, is now accepted as a physiological storage pool of NO that can be reduced to bioactive NO in hypoxic conditions to mediate a spectrum of physiological responses in blood and tissue. This graphical review will provide a broad overview of the role of nitrite in physiology, focusing on its formation and reduction to NO as well as its regulation of the mitochondrion- an emerging subcellular target for its biological actions in tissues.
Related Concept Videos
Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Antianginal Drugs: Nitrates and β-Blockers
Organic nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, play a pivotal role. Once metabolized, they liberate nitric oxide, a molecular marvel. Nitric oxide triggers guanylyl cyclase and augments cGMP production. This biochemical cascade orchestrates the relaxation of vascular smooth muscles, ushering in vasodilation and enhancing coronary blood flow. Administered...
2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this nitrogen...
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs

